Chris & Katie, Part I | Warsaw Wedding Photographer

Where to start with these two! Yet again I couldn't narrow my favorites down to one blog post - so this is part 1. Part 2 is coming at'cha on Wednesday so be sure to come back for more!

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Oh... Chris and Katie. On their wedding day, they were surrounded by more love and support than almost any other couple I have worked with. That's kind of a bold statement - but I was truly blown away by all of the people that were simply joyous about this wedding. Katie and Chris both have great relationships with all of their siblings (7 of them altogether!) and their parents. But the friends!! And extended family! Everyone that we spoke with on their wedding day was just so happy for these two. The day was all about celebrating their love and everyone in attendance was thrilled to be a part of it. The enthusiam was endless.

When Katie and I met at her bridal portrait session, I knew she was going to make my job so easy and comfortable. She was such a laid back, FUN bride (and stunning to boot!). Everything was about enjoyment.: just sit back, relax, and have a good time. Which you will easily see in the pictures! And her groom, Chris, was so attentive to the needs of everyone around him - he also made our job so easy. He put the boutonnieres on all of his groomsmen himself (I've never seen that before! We are usually the ones that do this!) and continued thanking the wedding vendors (including us) for their hard work throughout the night. But his biggest concern? Observing the joy on his bride's face! Chris lit up the moment he saw Katie coming down the aisle and he did not stop smiling or kissing her all night long. It was the sweetest. thing. ever.

Their wedding was beautiful, fun, and so THEM. As always, we were honored to be a part of their day and it was absolutely the best way to wrap up our 2012 wedding season!

Part II coming on Wednesday!

Ceremony: Laurel Springs Farm Reception: Laurel Springs Farm Florist: Bridget's Bouquets Officiant: Rev. Catherine Swann Dress: Kleinfeld NYC

Equipment used for this wedding:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 7d // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens // canon 35mm f/1.4 lens // canon 85mm f/1.8 lens // canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

zac & carrie | couple portraits on the beach

I intened on posting this yesterday... but I couldn't figure out how to put into words how much I love this girl. I am still struggling... so here is something like my 5th attempt at writing this blog post. So let me start with how we met. Our husbands deployed together in 2010 and Carrie and I met and instantly clicked during the 4-day weekend the guys got in New Orleans... our last hoorah before they were really gone for a year. The whole time our guys were gone Carrie and I made it a priority to get together almost weekly... which is saying a lot since we live about an hour from each other. She was my person who "got it." Having a deployed husband... but not being surrounded by a lot of other military families at the same time. (Our guys are National Guardsmen so we aren't stationed on a military base where it is easier to find and connect with people experiencing the same thing you are going through.) Carrie and I would get together and talk about the struggles of a long-distance marriage, how we tried to pretend the guys weren't really in danger, and how we learned to enjoy life without our husbands being around all the time.

But Carrie was more than just a deployment friend. She is probably the most servent-minded person I have ever met. Her heart is so sweet, she is thoughtful and considerate... and truly a treasure to me and the other people in her life. Our conversations are transparent, we have called each other in the middle of the night in tears and been honored to comfort and encourage one another during the tough times. Her presence is never, ever a burden. She is a constant blessing to me and my family.

When I found out I was pregnant I called Carrie first. She was absolutely thrilled for me and her joy was contagious. My pregnancy was a surprise - but Carrie made me remember that it was a gift from God... that this was totally in God's plans for us... and it was a wonderful, beautiful thing.

Like I said, she is a treasure.

I am skipping so many wonderful memories... stories... moments. Camping trips, babysitting, crossfit and paleo journeys, crewing races, exploring Tombstone, ikea trips, coffee dates, sooo many dinner dates, sleepovers, girl's nights out... I can't even figure out how to prioritize what to say! So I will get to the point of this post...

Carrie and Zac are some of our very best friends. Zac actually deployed - again - for another year this past year. He just returned a few weeks ago and we got to be a part of the surprise reunion! Carrie had no idea Zac was coming home so early - she thought he wouldn't be home for another two weeks! But, alas... he came home and quickly whisked her away to Aruba for a fun getaway. When they returned we took them to the beach with us... not the same as Aruba... but I think equally as fun. Maybe... maybe not. ;)

While we were at the beach I asked them if I could do a session for them... at sunset, of course. So, I introduce to you... Carrie and Zac...

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

The Prince Family | Lynchburg Family Photographer

Back in 2009, I went on a life-changing trip to Nepal. It was life-changing in a lot of ways, but meeting Jennifer was one of them. We were two of the five ladies on the trip and we had no choice but to get to know one another between the close quarters we shared and the long hours spent in the car! About a year after we returned from Nepal, Jennifer launched Hill City Bride and has continually created opportunities for wedding vendors in the Lynchburg area. She has coordinated many style shoots, launched a beautiful bridal guide and a women's magazine, is continually putting on events for the vendors in the area, and always brainstorming another new project! Because of her I have met so many other wonderful people in the industry, made numerous friendships that have blessed my life in great ways, and had a handful of opportunities presented to me through my business that otherwise would have never come about.

Jennifer is the heart behind Onetober (which I will totally be participating in next year!), 30 Days of Thank You, and the I Dream of A Wedding project. She is changing lives and blessing people left and right. Yet somehow she manages to gracefully balance being a mom to three beautiful children (one of which is Sunday's sweet babysitter!) and a wife to Earl, who is a successful entrepreneur as well. So I hope you believe me when I say I adore this family and am super grateful to know them.

Here they are in all their gorgeousness! I mentioned to Jennifer ahead of time that the session would probably be super-fast because her children were old enough to smile-on-demand. And that's exactly what happened! The pictures below are a perfect example of a mini-session and the variety that can come from just about 20 minutes of time together!

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

Kellen & Ashley | Fredericksburg Wedding Photographer

This time last year I was shooting Kellen & Ashley's wedding while crossing my fingers that all my activity wouldn't put me into labor juuuust yet. After their wedding, I had three weddings in queue, one right around the corner and a baby coming! As you can imagine, all of this contributed to a quiet blog. So I figured Kellen & Ashley's first wedding anniversary was as good a time as any to relive their wedding here on the blog! I LOVE these two! They are one of the most laid-back couples I know. They have both been through some hard times apart, and together they help one another focus on the good in life. Ashley is so down-to-earth and Kellen's adoration of her makes them such a positive, uplifting couple to be around. I really enjoyed each chance I had to spend time with them. And I am excited because thanks to Facebook, Ashley and I have been able to keep in touch and they are expecting their first baby in 2013! I am looking forward to hanging out with them around the holidays for some maternity pictures, so keep an eye out for those in the next few months!

Lucky for me, Ashley loves rainy days and had the best attitude about the rain on her wedding day (although it seems this year she's thinking they have jinxed this weekend to forever be rainy!). Because of the rain, we took advantage of covered porches and brightly-lit hallways for many photo ops. The day was so beautiful (of course) and had a lot of unique touches. One of my favorite things was that as Ashley came down the aisle the DJ played a recording of her voice talking to her dad. Queue the tears!! All of the vendors involved came together to make this day so beautiful and so fun for Kellen, Ashley and all of their guests.

Take a peek into this day last year:

Equipment used for this wedding:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 7d // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens // canon 35mm f/1.4 lens // canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

Katie's Bridals | Virginia Wedding Photographer

This past weekend we shot the stunning farm wedding of Katie and Chris. I am still feeling a little speechless about the whole day… but at the risk of sounding cliche, Katie and Chris are were absolutely made for one another. It was such a joy to capture their pure happiness throughout the day. As always, I am SO excited to share the pictures. (Check out a sneak peek on Facebook!) For now though - here's a glimpse of Katie's bridal session held at the same location as the wedding. Katie, a soybean and corn farmer, was all dressed up for her beautiful day. I LOVE the way these pictures tell you so much about her. She is a farm girl through and through, she loves her soybean fields, pick up trucks, and hanging out by the water. I love the contrast of beauty and elegance against the dust of the environment. Love, love.

To learn more about Katie and the stunning gown she is wearing, you can WATCH her on an episode of Say Yes To The Dress! I loved it! I love her!

Okay… The photos!!

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens // canon 35mm f/1.4 lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.